Spider-Man Editor Roundtable

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Marvel's wall-crawling team chats with us about Peter Parker's troubled life.

By Richard George

When plotting out our month of Spider-Man coverage, we knew we wanted to get an in-depth perspective of the character. We wanted to get some opinions on why Spidey has become so popular. We wanted to know if he was truly meant to be with Mary Jane. We wanted to know if his titles would remain as dark as they have been recently. With so many questions, we figured we should talk to some of the minds at Marvel Comics. While we do want to talk to the writers of the books, and rest assured we will, we thought it would be a great change of pace to talk to the handlers of the entire franchise. These four editors oversee the production of Marvel's Spider-books (with the exception of Ultimate Spider-Man). Axel Alonso has been the driving force of Amazing Spider-Man for quite some time. Nate Cosby works on Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and Spider-Man Family. Warren Simons helms Sensational Spider-Man. Steve Wacker is responsible for Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

With the recent return to the black costume, the shooting of Aunt May and the upcoming "One More Day" storyline fresh in our minds, we gathered the Spidey editorial team to talk about the character - his past, present and future. One more note - we're not done talking about the character yet. We're still going to seek out conversations with the writers of the books to gather more details on some of the juicy hints laid out here. Those will be coming throughout the next several months as those stories develop and come closer. As you'll see in this interview, there is still plenty to talk about - and plenty to tease us with.

IGN Comics: For each of you, what was your first Spider-Man book? What major storylines really hooked you when you started reading?

Axel Alonso: The first Spider-Man I picked up was off the rack. Aunt May was marrying Doctor Octopus and Spidey was swinging up behind them - which makes me approximately 65 years old. It was the 20 cent era. There were a lot of gangsters involved and things like that.

Nate Cosby: Back in 1983, when my sister was born, I was bitching and crying a lot. My parents bought me a full-sized Spider-Man coloring book. It was actually one where he was fighting Doctor Octopus as well. I just remember Spider-Man being a nice guy, so I liked him.

Warren Simons: It was probably "Kraven's Last Hunt." I remember being shocked and enjoying the craft of it.

Steve Wacker: My first one was an issue of Amazing where Spider-Man infiltrates Alcatraz or Ryker's Island or something. It was by Frank Miller and shows Pete behind the bars and Spidey's shadow over him. That was in 1980.

IGN Comics: Why has Spider-Man resonated so well with readers worldwide?

Alonso: I think there are two reasons. The first is that he's very, very relatable and approachable. He's a guy who crashes on his aunt's couch. He has a hard time coming up with the rent. He's also been the nerdy kid in school who's pushed around. Whichever version you grew up with, he's easy to relate to. He doesn't have a mansion or a manservant. He's just like you and me.

The second is that Spider-Man's face is covered. I think that accounts for a lot of the reason that children like him. It's important because he could be anybody. It doesn't matter if he's Asian, black, Latino or white until you pull off that mask. So for a large portion of the time, you can project onto him if you're a child. I know that was true for me. I didn't know Spider-Man was white until several pages into the book.

Cosby: I think for me, my favorite interpretation of Spider-Man is Stan Lee's version. Growing up I could never relate to Superman, Batman or the Fantastic Four because they were already grown up. I grew up reading Kurt Busiek's Untold Tales of Spider-Man and Chuck Dixon's Robin. I just liked them being teenage heroes that were the perfect analogies for growing up.

Simons: I think he's a character that's very relatable. He's the teenage kid who can't get his **** together. He's got such a strong origin as well. He's just this kid who gets his ass kicked in school. The next thing you know, he has these extraordinary powers. He then actually becomes a bit of a dick and then he learns his lesson. That makes him such a compelling character. The trajectory of that, and how that guilt affects him to this day, combined with the fact that he's the kid who has to hide in a broom closet. I think people can identify with that. I know I can.

Wacker: On that relatable point, I think for a lot of people, if you drop them into the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man is pretty much the character they would become. They would still be ****ed up in their personal lives, but I think we all have that feeling that says, "If only everyone else knew how great I am then they'd see." I think Peter deals with that. I also think that with the character they did a lot of smart marketing with him. You had the cartoon within the first five to six years of his existence. There were "Spidey Super Stories" 10 to 15 years after that. The character really lends himself to a lot of different types of stories. You can tell stuff to your kids, but you can also tell darker, gangster stories, like ones by Mike Zeck and J.M. DeMatteis.

Alonso: I couldn't agree with Steve more. You can't underestimate the great marketing. When I was a kid, that "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" song was something that every kid knew how to sing. My nephew, who's three, knows that thing word for word now. Spidey was in the Electric Company with a small skit. He was all over the place. The reason I talked a little bit about the mask is that, as the movies were beginning to hit, it seemed like a phenomenon that so many urban kids were responding so strongly to Spider-Man. You have to wonder why. I think it's because they think they can be him.

Wacker: That song must be the first viral song ever. I don't how - kids today still know that song, and the cartoon hasn't been on in over 40 years. They know the words, and it never goes away.